Improvement in adjustable ladder-steps



A:. D. CLARK. Adjustable Ladder-Step.

No. 221,780. Patent-ed Nov. 18, I879.

- cast in one piece, as shown.

UNITED STATES PATENT Darren.

ALFRED D. CLARK, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGKOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO MARTIN KROPP, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ADJUSTABLE LADDER-STEPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,780, dated November 18, 1879; application filed October 4, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED D. CLARK, of Springfield, in the county of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and Improved Adjustable Step or Platform for Ladders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figurel represents a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the invention applied to a ladder.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

My invention has for its object to provide an adjustable step or platform for application to an ordinary ladder, that shall be cheap and simple in construction, easily applied and detached from the ladder, and adapted to be readily adjusted to the rounds of different ladders, and to be held securely and safely in adjusted position.

To this end the invention consists, primarily, in the combination of a pair of brackets provided with hooks, by which they can be hung upon the rounds of a ladder, a step or platform secured to the top of said brackets, a cross-bar connecting the brackets, and an adj ustablelocking hook arranged on said crossbar, and adapted to engage withone of the rounds of the ladder and prevent the device from being casually detached.

It further consists in the peculiar means for effcctin g the connection of the adjustable locking-hook to the said cross-bar.

1n the drawings, A A represent the brackets, constructed preferably of metal, and each The upper portion, a, of the brackets is made flat and wide, and supports the step or platform B, suitable securing devices being employed-such as screws or bolts and nuts-to hold said step or platform in place. Each bracket is provided at its inner upper corner with a stout curved hook, I), which extends slightly above the top of the platform, forming a shoulder, c, for the latter to bear against, and curves outward and downward in such manner as to fit readily over one of the rounds of a ladder.

Long shanks cl 01 extend downwardly substantially parallel with the sides of the ladder, and bear against one of the lower rounds, as shown in Fig. 2, and serve to hold the device firmly and steadily in position.

The parts 0 c of the brackets act as braces to the step or platform, and enable any weight to be supported thereon that the ladder will sustain.

A rigid cross-bar, f, connects the brackets at or near their middle, and upon it is mounted a ring, g, having a projection or enlargement, g, which is perforated to admit the shank of a hook, h. The ring 9 is arranged to turn freely on the cross-bar, and the hook adapted to be adjusted up and down in the perforated projection g, and to be held in adjusted position by means of a set-screw, 2'.

After the device has been hung upon the ladder by the hooks b b, the lower hook is adjusted so as to grasp the under side of one of the lower rounds, and is then locked by the set-screw. The device is thus securely bound to the ladder and prevented from accidental displacement. A weight placed upon the platform or step is not entirely sustained by the hooks b b, but is in part borne by the lower round, against which the shanks of the brack ets rest. For imparting greater strength to the hooks, they are preferably constructed with a central rib, as seen in Fig. 1.

My invention will be found particularly convenient when employed upon the ordinary ladders used by carpenters, painters, tinners, &c. A workman can stand upon the platform without fatigue or danger, and keep his tools and materials ready at hand.

When two or more ladders are used the steps or platform may be employed to support boards extending from one to the other, and thus alford a strong and secure scaffold.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination, with the brackets and platform, of the cross-bar f and an adjustable locking-hook connected to said cross-bar, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the brackets and platform, the cross-bar f, ring g, perforated projection 9, adjustable hook h, and set-screws t, substantially as described.

ALFRED D. CLARK.

Witnesses:

F. M. HAGAN, E. O. HAGAN. 

